Courts

Tracing ancestors who came into contact with civil or criminal courts.

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What do I need to know before I s​tart?

Try to find out:

name of person

which court

approximate date of court appearance

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What records can I find in The Mitchell Library: Glasgow City Archives and Special Collections?

The records of central and local courts contain details of individuals who came in contact with them either in civil or criminal matters. As well as cases held in court, the records of the central and burgh courts contain Registers of Deeds. These registers record a great variety of documents, including contracts, marriage contracts, lands, indentures of apprenticeships and occasionally wills.

The City Archives holds an incomplete series of burgh court books for Glasgow and Rutherglen. Burgh courts had jurisdiction over various civil and criminal matters. The burgh criminal courts usually dealt with minor matters. These include:

Glasgow Burgh Courts

Services of Heirs, 1625-1866

Justices of Peace Court, 1663-1680

Register of Deeds, 1625-1973 (also printed indexes for the rest of Scotland, 1665-1683)

Small Debt Court, 1773-1817

Licensing Court, 1779-1977

Criminal Court, 1802-1950

Police Courts, 1805-1875

Central Police Court, 1906 (final sitting) (ref: B3/1/1/1-10)

Rutherglen Burgh Courts

Court, 1619-1975

Service of Heirs, 1794-1860

Registers of Deeds, 1628-1736

Glasgow City Archives also holds records of the Justice of the Peace Courts for the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, including minute books, small debt courts, and juvenile courts (sometimes incomplete) for the following:

Dunbartonshire, 1728-1975 (ref: JP6)

Glasgow, 1889-1974 (ref: JP22)

Lanarkshire (includes Glasgow), 1811-1970 (refs: CO1/10/5/1 and JP16)

Renfrewshire, 1859-1971 (ref: JP7)

Among other things, the Justice of the Peace of Courts include:

licensing courts include applications, appeals, testimonials in favour of applicants and records relating to the type of premise licensed

court books include petty sessions to try small crimes and juvenile courts to deal with young offenders. Such registers usually give the parties' names, the charge, the date of trial and sentence, standardly involving a fine or short spell of imprisonment​

A small series of police court records survive, including but not exclusive to:

​What records can I see online?

What Records I find elsewhere?

Many of Glasgow and Scotland's court records are held in the National Records of Scotland, including:

High Court of Justiciary, which is the principal source for information on crime and criminals, and in particular over serious crimes, such as murder, rape, treason and other serious offences. In the 19th century repeat offenders, or persons deemed criminals 'by habit and repute', could be tried there for lesser crimes such as theft, or housebreaking. The court sits permanently in Edinburgh and travels on circuit around Scotland

Sheriff Court, which deals with both civil and criminal matters, latterly for lesser crime, commonly theft and assault